Cartridge-packet.



No. 797,400- PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905. J. H. BLAKE.

CARTRIDGE PACKET.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20,1902.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed February 20, 1902. Serial No. 94,987.

T0 (0 7077/0771. it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN HENRY BLAKE, of Batavia, in the county of Genesee and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Cartridge-Packet, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a cartridgepacket for use in magazine boltguns, and is especially designed for use with the gun for which a patent was granted to me July 26, 1898, No. 608,023; and a further object of the invention is to provide an eflicient cartridge-packet for such purposes and one that will be durable, economic, and simple in construction and which may be readily removed from the cartridge-chamber in which it is adapted to be placed.

The invention consists in the novel constructions and combinations of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved packet. Fig. 2 is a rear end view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the packet. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken practically on the line 4 L of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the clamps.

The cartridge-packet may be made of any desired size. Preferably, however, it is made of a size enabling it to carry seven large cartridges, although the number of the cartridges may be more or less. The packet is adapted to revolve within the magazine-chamber of a gun. In the detail construction of the packet it consists of a rear head 10 and a forward head 11 and a central bolt 12 connecting the two heads and holding them rigidly at a proper distance apart, trunnions 13 being provided at the outer face of each head, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. The structure of the packet is further completed by the addition of a series of longitudinally-arranged clamps 14:. These clamps are ordinarily made I of spring metal and are open at the top, be-

ing of such shape longitudinally and in cross section as to snugly tit and cling to the sides of the cartridge-shell when it is forced into a clamp, the outer face of each shell being fully exposed throughout its full length. As shown in Fig. 1, the clamps usually consist of an upper semicircular body portion 15,adapted to receive a cartridge, and a lower web-section 16, extending longitudinally of the semicircular section and from end to end thereof, the extremities of the Web-sections being attached by clamping or otherwise to the heads of the packet-frame, since the web-sections of the clamps are made longer than their bodysections.

In the specific construction shown the clamps are constructed, as shown in Fig.5, of a single plate of metal bent longitudinally along its middle at 1 to form the doubled web 16 and slightly rounded at the bend 1 to prevent cracking of the metal and also to increase the resilience of the web, the outer clasp portions of the clamps being bent from the free edges of the Webs, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The central bolt 12, being non-circular and having non-circular portions fitting in polygonal openings in the opposite heads 10 and 11, operates to brace said heads strongly together, prevent any independent turning of said heads, and so overcome and avoid any tendency of the packet to turn or twist in such manner as to bring the clamps out of parallel line with the axis of the packet.

A ratchet-surface 17 is preferably formed upon the periphery of the rear head 10, the

teeth being all inclined in the same direction,

one tooth of the said ratchet-surface being located back ofthe receiving-surface of each clamp, and the number of teeth 17 is made to correspond to the number of cartridges to be carried by the packet. The rear head is further provided with a number of apertures 18, arranged in a circle adjacent to the teeth.

The trunnions 13 are adapted to rest in bearings provided in the magazine-chamber, Which bearings are of such a character that the packet may be removed, if desired. The apertures 18 in the head 1(lare adapted to receive stops forming a portion of the mechanism of the gun to which the packet is applied. The purpose of these holes 18, of which I use fourteen, is to insure the proper arrangement of the packet in the chamber of the gun whether the latter is being used as a singleloader or as a magazine gun.

One set of the apertures 18 is engaged by the stop-dog of the gun in using the gun as a single-loader, while the other set, consisting 'of the alternate holes, is engaged by the said dog in the use of the gun as a magazine-arm.

In the construction of the clamps ears 20 are projected from the side edges of the clamps, near the rear ends thereof, in direction of each other, the said ears having concaved lnner and convexed outer surfaces.

- The ears 20 are located near the rear head 10 of the clamp and are relied upon to hold the cartridges A, which cartridges engage with the said ears near their percussion ends. The clamps are open at each end, and those portions of the clamps forward of the ears 2O serve only to support the cartridges. The rear ends of the ears 20 are made to flare in opposite directions in order to form retaining-surfaces for the flanges of the shells, as shown at 21 in Fig. 1. The clamps form trough-like seats for the cartridges, and the bottoms of said troughs are stepped, forming rearwardly-facing inclined shoulders 14:, '(see Figs. 3 and 5,) which coincide with the shoulders 14", which are common to most cartridges and will always be found on those cartridges which do not have a flange at their rear ends. The purpose of this stepped form of the base of the trough is not only to make it better conform to the cartridges, but also to cause it to aid in forcing the cartridge back and aiding the parts 21 of the cars 20 in readjusting the cartridge-shells in case the latter have been forced slightly forward in carrying them in the belt or otherwise and insure the proper arrangement of the cartridges in the packet when the latter is inserted in the gun. It will be seen, therefore, that these shoulders 14: are of great importance when rimless shells are used, as they operate of themselves in such instance in readjusting the shells, as before described. The troughs of the clamps extend at 14 over the outer edge of the front head 11, and thus afford a smooth unbroken guide for the lead bullet and prevent any scraping by the latter by coming in contact with the head. -The troughs of the clamps may be further shouldered at M and 14. to cooperate with shoulder in the cartridge in readjusting the latter, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, lclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A cartridge-packet consisting of a frame comprising opposing heads, a connection between the heads and trunnions formed upon the heads, and clamps extending from one head to the other, the clamps being open at their upper portions and at their ends, each clamp being provided with ears extending from opposite side portions near one head, the inner faces of the ears being concaved and the ends adjacent to the head extending outwardly in opposite directions, whereby when the car tridge-shell is held between the ears of a clamp the flange of the shell will be engaged by the oppositely-flaring ends of the said ears, as and for the purpose specified.

2. A cartridge-packet provided around its rim with a series of cartridge-troughs whose bottoms form seats for the cartridges and are provided with rearwardly-facing shoulders, substantially as set forth.

3. A cartridge-packet comprising the frame and the cartridge-clamps ranging in a series around the frame and having trough-like seats for the cartridges and provided in the bottom of said troughs with the rearwardly-facing shoulders and having at the rear ends of said troughs the projecting ears flared outwardly at the rear ends and adapted to cooperate with the shoulders in the troughs in readjusting the cartridges substantially as set forth.

4:. The cartridge-packet herein described comprising the frame having the end heads, the central connecting-bar keyed in connection with said heads and adapted to prevent the same from turning and the cartridgeclamps ranging in a series around the frame and provided with the real-wardly facing shoulders and at their rear ends with the projecting ears substantially as set forth.

5. A cartridge-clamp for cartridge-packets, composed of a sheet of metal bent longitudinally upon itself at the middle to form a double web and then having the free edges of the web bent to form a trough-like seat having a rearwardly-facing shoulder, the rear ends of the edges of the seat being provided with ears having outwardly-flared rear ends forming retaining-surfaces for the flanges of the shell, as set forth.

6. Acartridge-clamp for cartridge-packets, composed of a sheet of metal bent upon itself at the middle to form a double web having a rounded portion at the bend, and then having the free edges of the web bent to form a troughlike seat having rearwardly-facing shoulders, the rear ends of the edges of the seat being provided with ears having outwardly-flared rear ends forming retaining-surfaces for the flange of the shell, as set forth.

7. A cartridge packet, comprising two heads, a bolt connecting the heads, and clamps secured between the heads, each clamp consisting of a semicircular body having rearwardly-facing shoulders and provided with ears projecting from the rear ends of the sides, said ears having their rear ends flared outwardly as set forth.

8. A cartridge packet, comprising two heads, each having a central polygonal opening, a polygonal bolt having its ends fitting in the openings of the heads, and a plurality of clamps between the heads, each clamp consisting of semicircular body having rearwardly-facing shoulders and ears projecting from its sides at the rear end, said ears having their rear ends flared outwardly as set forth.

' JOHN HENRY BLAKE.

WVitnesses:

SoLoN C. KEMoN, PERRY B. TURPIN. 

